Cybercrime is becoming increasingly prevalent and sophisticated, with fake websites bringing in unsuspecting victims to scammers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simon Campbell-Young, co-founder of Digimune, a distributor of Norton antivirus software, said that South Africans must remain informed to identify deceptive websites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you know what to look for, you can identify and avoid most fake websites,\u201d Campbell-Young said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHowever, if a person has clicked on a realistic-looking email that tells them their bank account has been hacked or frozen, they will think out of fear rather than logic. They don\u2019t inspect the site. They click the link, enter their details, and that\u2019s it\u2014they\u2019ve been caught.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fake websites are designed to look as real as possible, with even the URL seeming authentic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cScammers rely on us not noticing the subtle differences in the URL or the site\u2019s design. Believing it to be real, we unknowingly enter our login information, giving the scammers access to our actual accounts,\u201d Campbell-Young said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnce they gain access, their first action is usually to change your password on the legitimate website, effectively locking you out of your own account permanently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Legitimate websites can also become victims of malware infections through vulnerabilities in their coding or being compromised via hacking attacks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If a website is infected, it can contain viruses or scripts that run automatically when the site is visited, capturing any sensitive information that is entered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With this in mind, Campbell-Young has provided a checklist to verify that a website is legitimate before entering your personal information: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cThe consequences of falling prey to these scams are too costly,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
South Africa has seen a significant increase in cybercrimes in recent years, with the Sophos\u2019 The State of Ransomware in South Africa 2023 report<\/a> noting that 78% of South African organisations faced a ransomware attack last year – higher than the average 66% recorded amongst global respondents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n